So, not much has happened in the last 6 months with the car - you might say things have gone a bit backwards (but to go forwards in the end). About 3 months ago an intermittent ignition issue arose and I had to get the car towed back home.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, we took the Microtech out because I was too frustrated with not having a car. In doing so we discovered that the ignition issue was caused by a simple loose plug. I have also pulled out the remote oil filter off the car and running the oil filter off the block.
All of these activities are intended to allow some further development of the parts in preparation for the big engine to go in. I will need to place the remote oil filter in a different location to accommodate the oil pressure regulator and I have always wanted to make a better mount for the Microtech gear in the centre console. Also I pulled my modded radio surround out so that I can add my new MTX-L wideband gauge in there.
So, on to the new stuff that has gone for the car. Sad to say, it is not much - but it is progress. Primarily, the part that I want to show off is a modded flywheel. I currently have the Fidanza flywheel installed in my current ride and with the big cams and the fuziness of the Microtech in idle conditions, sometimes driving around was difficult. While I loved the responsiveness provided by the Fidanza, other elements such as rev drop off and idle quality.
So, while I didn't want to go back to the stock flywheel as that is too heavy and would diminish the performance of the new engine. So, after some research, it appears that something in the middle of the stock and Fidanza weights would be ideal. I believe that the Mazdaspeed Familia flywheel is about 13 pounds, which is about this halfway mark. So, I had my clutch shop have a go at machining weight off a stock flywheel to try to replicate this. The end result was good, with the stock flywheel taken from 8.3kg (18 pounds) down to 6.2kg (13.5 pounds).
Here are some photos of the machined flywheel:
Hopefully, this will provide a better balance between performance and drivability
Hopefully, I will have an update with some progress on putting the engine together. Thanks again for looking guys
